Massage machine, massager for hands and massaging method

ABSTRACT

The arm and hand can be reliably massaged with a massaging machine having a chair body  5  having a seat  2  and a backrest  3 ; an armrest  7  provided to the side of the seat  2 ; a tunnel-shaped support  22  provided to stand from the armrest  7  so as to enable the massagee&#39;s arm or hand placed on the armrest  7  to be inserted therein; and expanding/contracting massage air cells  34, 35  provided to the inner surface of the tunnel-shaped support  22.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a massaging machine, arm and handmassager and massaging method.

BACKGROUND ART

There is a pneumatic massaging machine comprising an air cell whichexpands/contracts according to the supply of air. The air cell isgenerally disposed at the backrest, seat or leg rest of the chair.

Japanese Patent Publication No. S44-13638 describes a massaging machinein which a bellows-shaped expandable cylinder, which expands andcontracts according to air, is disposed at the upper part of thearmrest. Here, the massagee' arm will be pressed upward.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

Since the arm is lighter than the body, when the arm is pressed upwardfrom the armrest, there are cases when the arm slips upward and asufficient massage feeling cannot be obtained. Thus, an object of thepresent invention is to reliably massage the arm or hand.

The present invention is a massaging machine, comprising: a chair bodyhaving a seat and a backrest; an armrest provided to the side of theseat; a tunnel-shaped support provided to stand from the armrest so asto enable the massagee's armor hand placed on the armrest to be insertedtherein; and a massage air cell provided to the inner surface of thetunnel-shaped support which expands/contracts according to thesupply/discharge of air. Since a tunnel-shaped support is provided tothe armrest, the arm or hand can be easily inserted inside thetunnel-shaped support. And, since the air cell provided to the innersurface of the tunnel-shaped support massages the arm or hand insertedinside the tunnel-shaped support, it is possible to prevent the arm orhand from slipping, and the arm or hand can be reliably massagedthereby.

Here, “arm or hand” (upper limb) refers to the overall anterior portionof the arm from the shoulder forward of the body, and is a portionconstituted from the upper arm, forearm, and hand. Incidentally, thehand can be divided into wrist, metacarpus, and fingers.

It is preferable that the tunnel-shaped support is open at both ends ofthe cross direction thereof, and the armor hand can be inserted into therear opening, and the fingertips can come out from the front opening.Here, since the fingertips can be placed outside from the front of thetunnel-shaped support, the fingertips will be free and the feeling ofbeing retrained can be reduced.

It is preferable that the massage air cell is capable of pressing thearm or hand against the armrest by expanding. As a result of massagingthe arm or hand by pressing it against the armrest from the inner faceof the tunnel-shaped support, it is possible to prevent the arm or handfrom slipping, and the arm or hand can be reliably massaged thereby witha simple constitution.

It is preferable that the armrest is provided with an acupressureelement for performing acupressure to the arm or hand being pressed withthe massage air cell. As a result of performing acupressure with thepressing strength of the air cell, acupressure can be effectivelyperformed to the arm or hand.

It is preferable that the armrest is provided with a vibration generatorfor performing vibration massage to the arm or hand being pressed withthe massage air cell. As a result of vibration being generated when thearm or hand is pressed with the air cell, vibration is effectivelyconveyed to the arm or hand, and the effect of the vibration massage canbe improved thereby.

It is preferable that the tunnel-shaped support has a tunnel-shapedexternal member, and an internal member provided inside the externalmember while retaining space between the external member; the massageair cell is installed to the internal member; and the space between theexternal member and the internal member is pipe space for installing apipe for supplying air to the massage air cell. Here, the space forpassing a pipe to the air cell can be secured within the tunnel-shapedsupport.

It is preferable that the tunnel-shaped support is provided movablyforward and backward.

The tunnel-shaped support may be relatively displaced in relation to thearmrest, or the armrest provided with the tunnel-shaped support may berelatively displaced in relation to the seat.

More specifically, it is preferable that the armrest moves backward inconjunction with the motion of the backrest reclining backward, andmoves forward in conjunction with the motion of the backrest risingforward; and the tunnel-shaped support moves forward and backwardaccording to the forward and backward movement of the armrest. Since theposition of the arm or hand will be in the rear when the backrest isreclined backward, as a result of moving the armrest forward andbackward in conjunction with the reclining motion of the backrest, themassaging position can be maintained approximately constant regardlessof the reclining motion of the backrest.

It is preferable that the massage air cell is disposed so as to pressthe palm or back of the hand placed on the armrest.

Further, it is preferable that the length of the cross direction of thetunnel-shaped support is set to an extent such that only the anteriorportion of the massagee's wrist is positioned therein; and the massageair cell is used for massaging the palm or back of the hand.

The present invention viewed from another perspective is a chair-typemassaging machine having an armrest comprising an air cell at the upperside of the armrest which expands/contracts according to thesupply/discharge of air, wherein the air cell is provided so as to pressthe massagee's arm or hand placed on the armrest against the armrest byexpanding downward. As a result of the air cell expanding downwardtoward the armrest and pressing the arm against the armrest, it ispossible to pressure the arm or hand with the air cell while preventingthe arm or hand from slipping with the armrest.

The present invention pertaining to an arm and hand massager is an armand hand massager to be used upon being mounted on the armrest of achair, comprising: a tunnel-shaped support mounted on the armrest so asto enable the massagee's arm or hand placed on the armrest to beinserted therein; and an air cell provided to the inner surface of thetunnel-shaped support for massaging the arm or hand byexpanding/contracting. When this arm and hand massager is used, the aircell provided to the tunnel-shaped support will reliably massage the armor hand while preventing the arm or hand from slipping.

The present invention pertaining to a massaging method is a massagingmethod, comprising pressing the massagee's arm or hand placed on anarmrest of a chair-type massaging machine having such armrest againstthe armrest with an air cell which expends/contracts according to thesupply/discharge of air. According to this method, it is possible toprevent the arm or hand from slipping since the arm or hand is pressedagainst the armrest.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the chair-type massaging machine;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the chair-type massaging machine;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the chair-type massaging machine in a statewhere the armrest is rotated upward;

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the guide mechanism;

FIG. 5 is a cross section of line A-A illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of the chair-type massaging machine in a statewhere the backrest is reclined backward;

FIG. 7 is a side view of the arm and hand massager;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the inside of the arm and hand massager;

FIG. 9 is a cross section of the arm and hand massager;

FIG. 10 is a cross section of the arm and hand massager in a state wherethe air cell expands;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state where the arm and handmassager is being used (contraction of air cell);

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the arm and handmassager is being used (expansion of air cell);

FIG. 13 is a cross section of a massager pertaining to a modifiedexample;

FIG. 14 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example;

FIG. 15 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example;

FIG. 16 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example;

FIG. 17 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example;

FIG. 18 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example;

FIG. 19 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example; and

FIG. 20 is a cross section showing a massager (expansion of air cell)pertaining to a modified example.

List of Elements

-   -   1 massaging machine    -   2 seat    -   3 backrest    -   4 leg rest    -   5 chair body    -   7 armrest    -   7 a upper face of the armrest (surface on which a palm is        placed)    -   20 arm and hand massager    -   22 tunnel-shaped support    -   27 rear opening    -   28 front opening    -   30 external member (external shell)    -   31 internal member (internal shell)    -   33 upper air cell    -   34 left air cell    -   35 right air cell    -   39 air pipe    -   41 pipe space    -   46 air supply/discharge device    -   48 vibration generator    -   49 acupressure element

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are now explained with reference tothe drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a chair-type massaging machine 1. This chair-type massagingmachine 1 has a chair body 5 including a seat 2, a backrest 3 disposedat the back of the seat 2, and a leg rest 4 disposed at the front of theseat.

With the seat 2, the upper face (seat surface) 2 a thereof is aninclined face with the front part facing upward such that the foremostpart is the highest, and the massagee is able to sit back in the chair.

The backrest 3, with the lower position thereof as the center ofrotation 3 a, is constituted to be reclinable, and can be reclinedbackward from the position shown in FIG. 1, and can be returned from thereclined state to the position shown in FIG. 1 by being pulled upward.Reclining is conducted with a reclining drive unit not shown such as anelectric motor or fluid cylinder. Incidentally, the backrest 3 isslightly inclined backward at a position of being fully pulled upward asdepicted in FIG. 2.

The leg rest 4 is constituted to be rotatable upward and downward, andcan be raised to an approximately horizontal position illustrated withthe dotted line in FIG. 1 by being rotated forward from the downwardposition shown with the solid line in FIG. 1, and can be returned to thedownward position by being rotated backward from the raised state. Therotation of the leg rest 4 is also conducted with a drive unit not shownsuch as an electric motor or fluid cylinder.

When the backrest 3 is reclined backward and the leg rest 4 is raised,the area from the backrest 3 to the leg rest 4 will become approximatelyflat, and the massagee will take a recumbent position. A massager (notshown) is disposed to the seat 2, backrest 3 and leg rest 4 respectivelyor entirely, and a massage can be performed to the massagee in a sittingposition or recumbent position. Various items may be employed as themassager, such as a massaging ball driven with a motor or an air cellwhich expands/contracts according to the supply/discharge of air.

Armrests 7, 7 are disposed to both the left and right sides of the seat2, and the massagee can place his/her arms or hands on the armrests 7, 7and relax. The rear parts of the armrests 7 are mounted on the left andright sides of the backrest 3, and the armrests 7 are provided extendingforward at the left and right side positions of the seat 2. The rearpart of the armrest 7 is pivotally attached to the backrest frame (notshown) constituting the framework as the backrest inside the backrest 3,and is freely rotatable around an axis 9 in the horizontal direction. Inother words, the rear part of the armrest 7 is the rotational base.Meanwhile, the front part of the armrest 7 is not mounted to any otherpart, and is a freely rotatable end.

Therefore, the armrest 7 is able to rotate around the rotational base(axis 9), and is able to take on the position of the front part thereoffacing approximately forward as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, or take on araised position of the front part thereof facing upward by being rotatedbackward as shown in FIG. 3. Incidentally, the left and right armrests7, 7 may be rotated independently, or the armrests 7, 7 may be rotatedintegrally. Moreover, only one armrest 7 may be rotated.

The range of the backward rotation of the armrest 7 around therotational base (axis 9) is restricted from the state (=first position)in which the armrest 7 is positioned at the side of the seat 2 as shownin FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, to a state (=second position) in which the armrest7 is positioned at the side of the (raised) backrest 3 as shown in FIG.3.

The first position is the normal position of using the armrest 7. Themassagee is able to place his/her arm or hand on the armrest 7 at thefirst position. Meanwhile, when the armrest 7 is in the way, or when themassagee wishes to sit or stand from the side of the seat 2 (the motionof sitting or standing from the side of the seat is hereinafter referredto as the “sideward sitting/standing motion”), as shown in FIG. 3, as aresult of rotating the armrest 7 to the second position, the armrest 7will not exist at the side of the seat 2 in a state where it will not bein the way of the sideward sitting/standing motion. Therefore, themassagee can easily make the sideward sitting/standing motion.

As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the front part of the armrest 7, which isa free end, is supported with a guide mechanism 11, and this guidemechanism 11 guides the movement of the armrest 7 in conjunction withthe reclining of the backrest 3.

The guide mechanism 11 is constituted by having a guide body 12 providedto the side of the seat 2, and a guidee unit 13 provided to the armrest7 so as to be guided by the guide body 12. Incidentally, since thearmrest 7 is provided such that the front part thereof is able to rotatedownward with its self weight, unless the armrest 7 is raised againstits self weight, the contact between the guide body 12 and guidee unit13 will be maintained naturally. Moreover, in place of, or in additionto, the front part of the armrest rotating downward with its selfweight, it may be biased to rotate downward with a biasing tool such asa spring.

The guide body 12 is disposed at the upper part of the side cover 14provided to the position at the left and right sides of the seat 2, andis constituted from a roller provided to a position that is lower thanthe upper face 2 a of the seat. The roller 12 is mounted on the seatframe (not shown) for supporting the seat 2, and is covered with theside cover 14 such that only the upper part of the roller is exposedupward. The roller 12 is freely rotatable around the center ofhorizontal axle.

The guidee unit 13 is provided at the lower part of the armrest 7, andhas a contact guide face 13 a which contacts the roller 12. In the stateshown in FIG. 4 and 5, the self weight of the armrest 7 is making thecontact guide face 13 a contact the roller 12. As a result of thecontact guide face 13 a contacting the roller 12, the armrest 7 isrestricted from rotating downward any further than the first position(state shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5). In other words, the roller 12 issupporting the armrest 7 from below.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the backrest 3 is reclined backward, thearmrest 7 mounted to the backrest 3 via the axis 9 will move backward bybeing pulled back by the backrest 3 while the front part thereof stillfaces forward. Here, the armrest 7 if freely rotatable in relation tothe backrest 3, and, since the front part of the armrest 7 is onlysupported with the roller 12 freely forward and backward, the backwardmovement of the armrest 7 is not hindered.

Further, since the position of the axis 9 moves downward as a result ofthe backrest 3 being reclined, the overall armrest 7 (in particular therear side thereof) will also move downward.

When the armrest 7 is not freely rotatable in relation to the backrest3, since the angle of the armrest 7 against the backrest 3 will bemaintained, if the backrest 3 is reclined backward, the armrest 7 willbecome significantly upward, and it will be difficult to place the armor hand on the armrest 7. Contrarily, in the present embodiment, sincethe armrest 7 is freely rotatable in relation to the backrest 3, whenthe backrest 3 is reclined backward, the angle of the armrest 7 againstthe backrest 3 will open, and the state of the front part of the armrest7 facing forward will be maintained.

With the guidee unit 13, the rear side thereof is vertically thick, andthe front side thereof is vertically thin, and the contact guide face 13a is inclined upward in the forward direction. Thus, when the armrest 7moves backward and the front part of the contact guide face 13 acontacts the roller 12, the front part of the armrest 7 is loweredslightly, and the massagee is able to place his/her arm or hand in arecumbent position.

The upper face 7 a of the armrest 7 is constantly positioned more upwardthan the upper face 2 a of the seat in the entire range of the forwardand backward movement. Thus, the massagee is able to place his/her armor hand in an appropriate state whether in a sitting state or arecumbent state.

Further, when the backrest 3 is reclined backward, the armrest 7 will beslightly upward than the horizontal state, and the massagee in arecumbent state will be able to easily place his/her hand on the armrest7.

Incidentally, a roller as the guidee unit 13 may be provided to thearmrest 7, and a contact guide face (face the roller will roll over) asthe guide body may be provided to the side of the seat 2.

FIG. 7 to FIG. 12 show an arm and hand massager 20 provided respectivelyto the left and right armrests 7. Incidentally, the arm and handmassager 20 may be provided to only one armrest 7.

This massager 20 is suitable for massaging the anterior portion (hand)that is forward of the wrist, and, in particular, is suitable formassaging the anterior portion (metacarpus) that is forward of the wristexcluding the fingers, and has a tunnel-shaped support 22 which enablesthe arm or hand placed on the armrest 7 to be inserted therein.Incidentally, the massager 20 may be used to massage the portion (upperarm or forearm) closer to the shoulder side than the wrist.

The tunnel-shaped support 22 has a side face portion 24 positioned atboth sides in the width direction of the armrest 7 and extending upwardof the armrest 7, and an upper face portion 25 for connecting the leftand right side face portions 24, 24 at the upper part of the armrest 7.The upper face part 25 of the support is disposed at a height in whichthe arm or hand can be inserted in the space with the upper face 7 a ofthe armrest. Further, the interval between the left and right side faceportions 24 is set to enable an arm or hand to be inserted therebetween.Here, the side face portion 24 and the upper face portion 25 are formedin a continuous arc shape, and the overall support 22 is of an arcshape. Although the boundary of the side face portion 24 and the upperface portion 25 is unclear, the shape may be such that the boundary isevident.

The support 22 is opened at both ends 27, 28 thereof in the crossdirection (lengthwise direction of the armrest 7), and the opening 27 atthe rear side enables the arm or hand to be inserted into the support22, and the opening 28 at the front side enables the inserted arm orhand (fingertip) to come out therefrom. With the support 22, themetacarpus (back of the hand and palm) is positioned therein, and theportion on the shoulder side behind the wrist and the fingertip are setto a position outside the support 22 in the cross direction length, andis a suitable size for massaging the back of the hand or palm. Moreover,the support 22 is mounted on a position where the back of the hand orpalm will be when the arm or hand is placed on the armrest 7; in otherwords, on the front part of the armrest 7.

The support 22 is positioned slightly backward of the front end of thearmrest 7, and the fingertip put out from the front opening 28 of thesupport 22 can be placed on the upper face 7 a of the armrest. Further,joints of the fingers placed outside from the front opening 28 can bebent inside. In other words, the front end of the upper face 7 a of thearmrest 7 is a downward inclined face 7 b inclining downward, and, byplacing the fingers on the downward inclined face, the fingers can bebent and the palm or back of the hand can be massaged in a relaxedstate.

Moreover, even if the downward inclined face 7 b is not provided to thefront end of the armrest 7, fingers can be bent so as long as thesupport 22 is positioned such that the root of the fingers can be placedand the fingertip can be positioned forward of the front end of thearmrest 7 when the palm or back of the hand is positioned inside thesupport 22 and when the fingers are placed outside from the frontopening 28.

In either case, as a result of the support 22 being provided at aposition where the fingers can be bent, the arm or hand can be massagedin a relaxed state.

The support 22 has an internal and external dual structure of acombination of an external member 30 positioned externally and aninternal member 31 positioned more internally than the external member30.

The external member 30 is formed from a hard material such as resin ormetal. Further, the external member 30 is formed in an arc shape, andhas a function as a decorative cover since it is a member positioned atthe uppermost surface of the massager 20. Moreover, the external member30 has a function as amounting member for mounting the overall massager20 on the armrest 7, and the lower parts 30 a, 30 b of the externalmember 30 are provided extending inside toward the lower part of thearmrest 7, and these lower parts 30 a, 30 b are fixed to the armrest 7with a fixing tool (not shown) such as a screw.

The internal member 31 is formed from a hard material such as resin ormetal, and is disposed to form a space between the external member 30,and both lower ends thereof are mounted to the inner face of theexternal member 30. Air cells 33, 34, 35 for pressuring the arm or handby expanding/contracting according to the supply/discharge of air areprovided to the inner face of the arc-shaped internal member 31. As theair cells, provided are a first air cell (upper air cell) 33 mounted onthe vicinity of the top of the internal member 31, and second air cells(side air cells) 34, 35 are mounted on the vicinity of the left andright side faces of the internal member 31.

Since the support 22 is formed from a hard material, in addition tobeing able to reliably retain the air cell, space for inserting the armor hand can be maintained.

The air cells 33, 34, 35 are formed by taking a thin fabric sheetmaterial formed from a material such as synthetic resin and forming abag shape. The air cell expands by an air supply/discharge devicesupplying air thereinto. Further, when air is discharged from the aircell, the air cell will contract and become a flat state.

As shown in FIG. 10, the first air cell 33 is provided to expanddownward, and is capable of pressing the arm or hand downward. Thesecond air cells 34, 35 are disposed to partially overlap with the firstair cell 33, and the lower parts thereof are respectively mounted on theinternal member 31 with a fixture (screw, pin or the like). The upperparts of the second air cells 34, 35 are not mounted on the internalmember 31, and are freely expandable ends. Thus, the upper part of thesecond air cells 34, 35 expands greater then than the lower partthereof. Incidentally, the air cell side parts of the second air cells34, 35 are formed in a cornice shape such that the amount of expansionbecomes greater. The second air cells 34, 35 are able to press the armor hand downward from the left and right sides. Moreover, as shown inFIG. 10, when the first air cell 33 and second air cells simultaneouslyexpand, the amount of downward pressure can be increased.

Incidentally, in the following explanation, the second air cell 34positioned at the pinky side of the arm or hand inserted inside thesupport 22 is referred to the external air cell, and the second air cell35 positioned at the thumb side is referred to as the internal air cell.

Since the support 22 is mounted on the armrest 7 via the left and rightside face parts 24 positioned at both sides in the width direction ofthe armrest 7, even if the upward reaction against the support 22 actswhen the air cells 34, 35 expand downward and presses the arm or hand,the structure is suitable for enduring such reaction.

An air pipe 39 is connected to each air cell 33, 34, 35. The air pipe 39is connected to the expanding back face (upper side; side facing theinternal member 31) of the air cell, and is passed through to the spaceinside the support 22 (space between the external member 30 and internalmember 31; pipe space) upon passing through a first through hole 40formed in the internal member 31. Each pipe 39 is extending to thevicinity of the armrest 7 via the pipe space 41. Further, each pipe 39is drawn out from the pipe space 41 via a second through hole 42 formedin the vicinity of the armrest 7 of the internal member 31, and ispassed through to the inside of the armrest 7 via a third through hole43 formed in the armrest 7. A pipe space 44 is formed inside the armrest7, and each pipe 39 is extending backward via the internal space 44 ofthe armrest. The pipe 39 provided extending near the rotational axis 9of the armrest comes out of the armrest 7 in the vicinity of such axis9. As a result of placing the pipe 39 outside the armrest 7 in thevicinity of the rotational axis 9, the displacement of the pipeaccording to the rotation of the armrest can be decreased.

The pipe 39 placed outside the armrest 7 is drawn around the lower partof the backrest 3 from the side face of the backrest 3, and connected tothe air supply/discharge device 46 disposed below the seat 2.Incidentally, in order to guide the pipe 39 below the seat, the pipe 39may be passed through from the vicinity of the rotational axis 9 of thearmrest 7 inside the backrest 3, and extended to the lower part of theseat 2 from inside the backrest 3.

Connected to the air supply/discharge device 46 is a pipe (not shown)connected to the massage air cell (not shown) provided to the seat 2,backrest 3 or leg rest 4 of the chair body 5, and the air cellexpands/contracts by performing the supply/discharge of air to therespective air cells. Further, the air supply/discharge device 46 iscontrolled with a control device (not shown), and such control device iscapable of controlling the method of expanding and contracting therespective air cells.

Among the upper faces 7 a of the armrest, a vibration generator 48 forperforming a vibration massage to the arm or hand is provided to therange of the bottom of the tunnel formed with the support 22. The upperface 7 a of the armrest is formed in a concave shape, and the vibrationgenerator 48 is embedded inside the armrest. The vibration generator 48has an acupressure element 49 protruding in relation to the upper face 7a of the armrest, and vibration is locally conveyed to the arm or handinserted inside the support 22 via this acupressure element 49. As shownin FIG. 9, the acupressure element 49 is disposed biased in thehorizontal direction in relation to the center position in thehorizontal width direction of the armrest 7. Specifically, theacupressure element 49 is disposed biased to a position closer to theseat 2 (right side if the armrest 7 is for the left arm; and left sideif the armrest 7 is for the right arm) in relation to the centerposition in the horizontal width direction of the armrest 7. As a resultof the acupressure element 49 being positioned biased closer to the seat2 in relation to the center position, the “pressure point” (Rokyu),which is the acupuncture point in the palm, and the vicinity thereof(area near the thumb of the palm) can be subject to acupressurereliably.

Incidentally, when vibration is to be provided evenly to a wide area ofthe arm or hand, it is not necessary to provide the acupressure element49. Further, the acupressure element 49 is able to perform acupressureto the arm or hand even when the vibration is not being generated.

As shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12, the palm is placed downward on theupper face 7 a of the armrest which is to become the bottom face of thetunnel formed with the support 22. As illustrated, the upper face 7 a ofthe armrest is an approximately flat palm mounting face. When the aircells 33, 34, 35 provided to the internal member 31 (support 22)disposed in a prescribed spacing above the palm mounting face 7 a expanddownward (c.f. FIG. 12), the air cells 33, 34, 35 contact the back ofthe hand and perform acupressure massage while pressing the hand againstthe palm mounting face 7 a. Since massaging is performed while pressingthe hand against the mounting face 7 a, it is possible to prevent thehand from slipping.

As a result of pressing the hand downward with the air cells 33, 34, 35,the arm or hand can be massaged by being held from the top and bottombetween the air cells and the upper face 7 a of the armrest. In otherwords, a vertical massage can be performed to the arm or hand being heldfrom the top and bottom.

Since the acupressure element 49 is protrusively provided to the palmmounting face 7 a side, when the air cells 33, 34, 35 (particularly aircell 33) press the arm or hand against the palm mounting face 7 a fromthe back of the hand side, the acupressure element 49 is pressed againstthe palm, and effective acupressure can be performed to the palm, inparticular to the “Rokyu”. Moreover, when the vibration generator 48 isoperated when the hand is being pressed against the palm mounting face 7a side, the vibration can be conveyed to the hand effectively, and thevibration massage effect can be improved thereby.

Further, the left and right second air cells 34, 35 are able to performacupressure to both the left and right portions of the back of the handwhile pressing the back of the hand against the palm mounting face 7 asince they expand downward from the left and right sides. Moreover,since the lower parts of the left and right air cells 34, 35 expand asthe expansion bases 37, 37, the air cells can expand in a state offitting the surface of the back of the hand having a round shape.

The first air cell 33 and second air cells 34, 35 may expand/contractsimultaneously, or may expand/contract separately. Further, the left andright second air cells 34, 35 may also expand/contract simultaneously,or may expand/contract separately.

Specifically, the following expansion/contraction patterns can beimplemented. Incidentally, the following expansion/contraction patternsare controlled with the control unit of the massaging machine.

(Pattern 1)

-   -   (1) The first air cell 33 expands;    -   (2) The second air cells 34, 35 expand;    -   (3) The first air cell 33 contracts;    -   (4) The first air cell expands again;    -   (5) The second air cells 34, 35 contract; and    -   (6) The first air cell 33 contracts.

In the case of pattern 1, by pressing the back of the hand downward at(1) and (2), and thereafter contracting the first air cell 33 at (3),the left and right second air cells 34, 35 will move upward. Here, theleft and right second air cells 34, 35 will squeeze the arm or hand, anda massage of squeezing the arm or hand is performed. This squeezemassage is similar to the massage of placing a person's palm diagonallyon the back of the other hand and rubbing the back of the other handwith such palm. As described above, according to the operation containedin pattern 1, a massage similar to manually massaging the back of thehand can be performed.

Further, if the first air cell expands again at (3), the squeezed stateis released, and, by repeating (3) and (4), the squeezing motion and therelease thereof can be repeated.

(Pattern 2)

-   -   (1) The first air cell 33 expands;    -   (2) The internal air cell 35 among the second air cells 34, 35        expands;    -   (3) The external air cell 34 among the second air cells 34, 35        expands;    -   (4) The external air cell 35 contracts; and    -   (5) The first air cell 33 and internal air cell 34 contract.

In the case of pattern 2, as a result of pressing from the inner side(thumb side) of the back of the hand, the acupuncture point (pressurepoint) located at the inner side of the back of the hand can bestimulated. There are pressure points effective to the upper body at theinner side of the back of the hand, and the upper body can be treatedeffectively by performing this simultaneously with (in parallel with)the upper body massage (massage with the massager provided to thebackrest 3). Moreover, when the massaging machine is provided with amassage course for treating the upper body, the effect of treatment tothe upper body as the overall course can be improved by performing themassage to the inner side of the back of the hand while the upper bodymassage course is being performed.

(Pattern 3)

-   -   (1) The first air cell 33 expands;    -   (2) The external air cell 34 among the second air cells 34, 35        expands;    -   (3) The internal air cell 35 among the second air cells 34, 35        expands;    -   (4) The internal air cell 34 contracts; and    -   (5) The first air cell 33 and external air cell 35 contract.

In the case of pattern 3, as a result of pressing from the outer side(pinky side) of the back of the hand, the acupuncture point (pressurepoint) located at the outer side of the back of the hand can bestimulated. There are pressure points effective to the lower body at theouter side of the back of the hand, and the lower body can be treatedeffectively by performing this simultaneously with (in parallel with)the lower body massage (massage with the massager provided to the seat 2or leg rest 4). Moreover, when the massaging machine is provided with amassage course for treating the lower body, the effect of treatment tothe lower body as the overall course can be improved by performing themassage to the outer side of the back of the hand while the lower bodymassage course is being performed.

As described above, by separating the air cells 34, 35 for pressing theback of the hand to the inner side and outer side, and independentlyexpanding the respective air cells 34, 35, it is possible to press onlyone side of the back of the hand. When only one side of the back of thehand is pressed, in comparison to pressing the overall back of the hand,local sensitivity will be generated, and the pressure point can beeffectively stimulated.

Further, even if only one side of the arm or hand is pressed, since thesupport 22 has a side face portion 24 at both sides of the armrest 7, itis possible to prevent the arm or hand from slipping to the side.

Although the arm and hand massager 20 is provided to the tip of thearmrest 7 so as to massage the palm or back of the hand, since thearmrest 7 moves backward in conjunction with the backrest 3 beingreclined backward, the arm and hand massager 20 will also move backward.Therefore, even when the backrest 3 is reclined and the massagee is in arecumbent state, the massagee is still able to receive a massage toone's arm (hand) with the arm and hand massager 20. As described above,so as long as the armrest 7 itself is capable of moving forward andbackward, even if the arm and hand massager 20 is provided to thearmrest 7 in a positionally fixed manner, the forward and backwardposition of the massager 20 can be adjusted by moving the armrest 7forward and backward. Incidentally, the massager 20 may also be providedmovably to the armrest 7 forward and backward.

FIG. 13 and FIG. 14 show modified examples of the massager 20. With thismassager 20, left and right air cells 51, 52 are provided to theinternal member 31, and the upper parts of the air cells 51, 52 aremounted on the top of the internal member 31 with the fixture 54, andthe lower parts of the air cells 51, 52 are freely expandable ends. Asshown in FIG. 13, when the air cells 51, 52 expand, the arm or hand(back of the hand) is massaged from the left and right sides while beingpressed downward. Therefore, the arm or hand can be massaged from theleft and right sides while preventing the arm or hand from slipping.

FIG. 15 shows another modified example of the massager 20. Incidentally,although FIG. 15 onward are diagrams illustrated upon omitting thedetails such as the air pipe, unless specifically explained, these havethe same constitution as the massager 20 described above.

The massager 20 shown in FIG. 15 is constituted such that the left andright second air cells 34, 35 overlap at the free ends thereof. Thefirst air cell 33 is also overlapped at the position where the secondair cells 34, 35 are overlapping, and constituted such that the amountof expansion at the position where these air cells 33, 34, 35 overlapwill become great. Thus, the pressing strength against the left, rightand center portions of the back of the hand can be increased, and astrong massage can be performed.

FIG. 16 shows another modified example of the massager 20. This massager20, instead of being provided with a first air cell 33, has a third aircell 36 on the armrest 7 side. The third air cell 36 is disposed at thelower side of the vibration generator 48 (acupressure element 49), and,by expanding, it presses the vibration generator 48 (acupressure element49) upward.

As a result of the vibration generator 48 (acupressure element 49)moving upward, since the amount of protrusion in relation to the upperface 7 a of the armrest will increase, a vibration massage oracupressure can be effectively performed while pressing the vibrationgenerator 48 (acupressure element 49) downward against the arm or hand.Incidentally, upon contracting the third air cell 36, the vibrationgenerator 48 (acupressure element 49) may be disposed at a positionlower than the upper face 7 a of the armrest.

The third air cell 33 may be provided to the upper face 7 a of thearmrest; that is, to the upper side of the vibration generator 48(acupressure element 49). Here, the third air cell 33 will mainlyfunction to press the arm or hand downward, and, by simultaneouslyperforming the downward pressing with the second air cells 34, 35 andthe downward pressing with the third air cell 36, the arm or hand can bemassaged while being squeezed from the top and bottom. In addition,since both the upper side and lower side of the arm or hand are pressedwith the air cells 34, 35, 36, a massage feeling of the arm or handbeing encompassed can be obtained.

FIG. 17 shows another modified example of the massager 20. With thismassager 20, air cells 56, 57 are additionally disposed, respectively,behind the air cells 51, 52 in the massager 20 depicted in FIG. 13 andFIG. 14. The air cells 56, 57 assist the expansion of the air cells 51,52, and are constituted to increase the overall amount of expansion soas to powerfully hold the arm or hand.

FIG. 18 shows another modified example of the massager 20. With thismassager 20, provided are first air cells 60, 61 in which the first aircell 33 in the massager 20 depicted in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 is separatedto the left and right. When the left and right first air cells 60, 61simultaneously expand, in addition to functioning as with the first aircell 33, if the left and right first air cells 60, 61 independentlyexpand, massaging of one side of the back of the hand with the secondair cells 34, 35 can be independently assisted, and the pressingstrength of the one-side massage can be independently increased.

Further, when simultaneously expanding the left and right second aircells 34 to press the back of the hand, by expanding/contracting eitherthe left or right first air cell, the pressing strength against theouter side and the pressing strength against the inner side of the backof the hand will result in differences, and the feeling of massaging oneside of the back of the hand can be experienced.

FIG. 19 shows another modified example of the massager 20. With thismassager 20, as the air cell, provided are an air cell 63 of a sizecorresponding to the approximate overall width of the inner face of theinternal member 31, and an air cell 64 disposed therebehind. The aircell 63 presses the arm or hand downward while encompassing the overallarm or hand. Moreover, the air cell 64 is disposed at the centerposition in the horizontal direction, and, by assisting the downwardpressing, increases the amount of expansion of the center position inthe horizontal direction.

FIG. 20 shows another modified example of the massager 20. With thismassager 20, as the air cell, provided is an air cell 63 of a sizecorresponding to the approximate overall width of the inner face of theinternal member 31 for pressing the arm or hand downward whileencompassing the overall arm or hand. Further, as the other air cells,air cells 65, 65 separated to the left and right are provided, and asqueeze massage of the arm or hand from the left and right sides or theone-side massage of the back of the hand can be performed.

Incidentally, as the air cell, it is not necessary to provide itseparately from the internal member 31 (support 22), and air may besupplied to the space formed between the inner face of the internalmember 31 (support 22) and the fabric attached to such inner face of theinternal member 31 (support 22) so as to expand/contract such fabric.

In addition, the length of the support 22 in the cross direction may bearbitrarily set. The massaging point is not limited to the palm or backof the hand, and massaging may be performed to the fingers, or to anarea closer to the shoulder than the wrist.

Further, the disposition and quantity of air cells provided to thesupport 22 may be suitably changed.

1. A massaging machine, comprising: a chair body having a seat and abackrest; an armrest provided to the side of said seat; a tunnel-shapedsupport provided to stand from said armrest so as to enable themassagee's arm or hand placed on said armrest to be inserted therein;and a massage air cell provided to the inner surface of saidtunnel-shaped support which expands/contracts according to thesupply/discharge of air.
 2. A massaging machine according to claim 1,wherein said tunnel-shaped support is open at both ends of the crossdirection thereof, and the arm or hand can be inserted into the rearopening, and the fingertips can come out from the front opening.
 3. Amassaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said massage air cell iscapable of pressing the arm or hand against said armrest by expanding.4. A massaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said armrest isprovided with an acupressure element for performing acupressure to thearm or hand being pressed with said massage air cell.
 5. A massagingmachine according to claim 1, wherein said armrest is provided with avibration generator for performing vibration massage to the arm or handbeing pressed by said massage air cell.
 6. A massaging machine accordingto claim 1, wherein said tunnel-shaped support has a tunnel-shapedexternal member, and an internal member provided inside said externalmember while retaining space between said external member; said massageair cell is installed to said internal member; and the space betweensaid external member and said internal member is pipe space forinstalling a pipe for supplying air to said massage air cell.
 7. Amassaging machine according to claim 1, wherein said tunnel-shapedsupport is provided movably forward and backward.
 8. A massaging machineaccording to claim 7, wherein said armrest moves backward in conjunctionwith the motion of said backrest reclining backward, and moves forwardin conjunction with the motion of said backrest rising forward; and saidtunnel-shaped support moves forward and backward according to theforward and backward movement of said armrest.
 9. A massaging machineaccording to claim 1, wherein said massage air cell is disposed so as topress the palm or back of the hand placed on said armrest.
 10. Amassaging machine according to claim 1, wherein the length of the crossdirection of said tunnel-shaped support is set to an extent such thatonly the anterior portion of the massagee's wrist is positioned therein;and said massage air cell is used for massaging the palm or back of thehand.
 11. A chair-type massaging machine having an armrest comprising anair cell at the upper side of the armrest which expands/contractsaccording to the supply/discharge of air, wherein said air cell isprovided so as to press the massagee' arm or hand placed on said armrestagainst said armrest by expanding downward.
 12. An arm and hand massagerto be used upon being mounted on the armrest of a chair, comprising: atunnel-shaped support mounted on said armrest so as to enable themassagee's arm or hand placed on said armrest to be inserted therein;and an air cell provided to the inner surface of said tunnel-shapedsupport for massaging the arm or hand by expanding/contracting.
 13. Amassaging method, comprising pressing the massagee's arm or hand placedon an armrest of a chair-type massaging machine having said armrestagainst said armrest with an air cell which expends/contracts accordingto the supply/discharge of air.